Liquid containers present a problem insofar as it is difficult to accurately pour the liquid out of the container into a restricted opening unless the container is provided with a spout. However, the spout consumes an appreciable amount of space which increases the cost of shipping.
For example, automobile lubricating oil is usually solid in cylindrical containers for economical transportation. However, it is impractical to pour the oil from the can in which it is sold directly into the crankcase filler pipe of the automobile without the assistance of some other appliance. This is usually a spout having a piercer on one end for piercing the lid of the can. Such spouts are inconvenient to use because the oil is very apt to escape at the juncture of the spout with the can and the spout itself becomes covered with oil and messy to handle. The other alternative is to use a funnel.
Efforts have been made in the past to alleviate this situation but such efforts have not been entirely successful. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,699 the inventor provided a telescopic spout that is inserted in the container until ready for use. It is then extended to facilitate pouring the liquid out of the container. The telescopic spout provided in this structure is relatively expensive to manufacture and it extends from a very small circular portion of the lid of the can so that its length is restricted. This characteristic renders it somewhat limited in its capabilities to direct liquid into an opening located in cramped quarters such as the opening of an automobile crankcase filler tube.
Another effort is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,966 which shows a telescopic spout which is nested in the container until it is ready for use. Such arrangement is likewise relatively expensive to manufacture and the spout must necessarily be limited in size because of its structural arrangement in the container.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by molding the entire container of a unitary blown plastic and forming the spout portion of a convoluted surface which can be nested into the interior of the container for shipping purposes. However when the liquid is to be poured out of the container this convoluted spout portion can be readily extended from the container into a generally conical configuration. The base of the cone is of substantially the same diameter as the container so that the spout serves as a funnel that will be of maximum size and length for the greatest convenience in pouring the liquid out of the container.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved extendable spout or funnel for a container which spout is retracted into the container for economy in shipping and is extended into operating position when ready for use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved extendable spout for a liquid container which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture but efficient in operation.